Cruelty Free, Sustainable living

Blog 16-Cleaning without Compromising

I recently posted a message on my Instagram to cleaning influencers, asking them to please consider the environment when promoting their many cleaning products. This has turned out to be my most popular post, and it was refreshing to see so many people felling exactly the same way.

This harmful trend not only promotes toxic chemicals being poured down the drain, sprayed around the home and on our surfaces, but it also comes with a mountain of plastic containers once they’re finished.

I thought it was really important to not only urge these influencers to be more mindful of their decisions, but to provide help and advice on cleaning the home without compromising on the environment.

Here are some tips on being more sustainable and mindful day-to-day.

You don’t need a different product for every part of the home.

I cannot state this enough, you do not need a kitchen surface cleaner, a kitchen hob cleaner, a kitchen sink cleaner, a fridge and freezer cleaner and a over cleaner. You only need one all purpose cleaner. These specialist cleaners are just a marketing ploy to get you to buy more and more of their products. By creating a natural all purpose cleaner using vinegar or citric acid you are not only saving a lot of money, but creating a whole load of room in your cleaning cupboard.

Making your office less toxic and more eco frienldy.

I can guarantee that in almost every office you will find multiple people with a packet of desk wipes in their drawer. These wipes are made with plastic and are toxic. A great way to keep your office clean and fresh is to have a homemade or eco-friendly multi-purpose spray and cotton cloth.

It’s also become normal for everyone to have their own bin in the office, you can suggest having one or two bins in the middle of the office, limiting the amount of bin liners. When you have your own bin it can be easy to throw things away without thinking about it, if everyone had to get up to go to the bin it gives them time to register how much rubbish they are creating.

Keeping your home fresh.

We all love a fresh smelling home, and the best and most natural way to do this it to air your home out regularly. Take time to open the windows and allow a breeze to pass through, taking away with it any damp and unpleasant smells.

If this isn’t possible opt for a very simple air freshener, just mixing some water with your favourite essential oils will leave your home smelling beautiful and pure, and will leave out the toxic aftertaste of conventional air fresheners.

Another way to eliminate bad smells from the home is to leave a pot of bicarbonate of soda with a few drops of essential oils in the corner of the room, the bicarb will soak up the smells and the essential oils with leave the room smelling fresh.

If you really love your conventional air fresheners, you can create your own reed diffusers by combining a light oil like almond or sunflower oil with some essential oils and use this just as you would any other reed diffuser.

Cleaning your car.

So our car is one of our least environmentally friendly parts of our lives, but you can still keep it clean without the use of harsh chemicals. Once again use your all purpose cleaner for the interior, and avoid those petrol station air fresheners. If you feel you do need an air freshener simply use the water and essential oils mix. I like to keep a small one of these in my car and a larger one in the home.

Purifying you home.

Plants are vital to our survival on this planet, to creating a home filled with plants will help to purify the air you live in. This is especially important if you live in a large city where the air quality isn’t so great. It’s a way to break free from the city smog and enjoy pure and quality air. Succulents are a great option if you’re not a particularly green fingered!

Use the right accessories.

You can’t clean without sponges, and boy are there a lot of choices out there! When you have used up your current sponges, switch to choosing sponges made from natural fibres like loofas, bamboo, cotton and coconut. These will fully degrade once they have reached the end of their life and won’t break down into micro-plastics.